Have been lurking on this site for several years admiring all your handiwork and thought its finally about time to commit. I can’t promise to be particularly active, but all journeys’ start with a first step…

Gaming was a major part of my childhood, and its nostalgia that brings me time and time again to this site, SoL and each of your various blogs.

I started with Fighting Fantasy (The Shamutanti Hills with the fantastic John Blanche manticore on the front cover) and quickly moved on to GW and Citadel minis. My friends and I devoured everything and anything that was available at the time from D&D, Stormbringer, Space Hulk, Runequest, Paranoia, Chaos Marauders to Oi! Dat’s my leg! Not all of it good, but we enjoyed it nevertheless.

My golden age spanned Warhammer 2nd and 3rd and Edition and WH40K RT, and I spent more than a fair share of my time hanging around the GW on Sadlergate in Derby, “Mr A Mazing”’s joke shop (where there was plentiful supply of Ral Partha and pre-slotta base Regiments of Renown, and the owner would split blisters packs and sell individual minis to you for 50p), and also the GW in the Broadmarsh Centre in Nottingham. We also benefitted from having a couple of early Games Days held at the Derby assembly rooms.

My interest waned shortly after Lost and Damned, about when GW started to up prices and become more commercial, and I started to discover alcohol and girls. I had a brief return to the hobby after Uni. when I worked in the Norwich GW for a year, and although I accumulated a substantial number of big box games and innumerable minis during that period it was never the same.

After I left GW I sold of everything (idiot), but have kept an envious eye on the Foundry minis and more recently the Warlord games stuff. Recently I (badly) painted up a few Airfix models and that has upped the old emotions and pushed me to register on this forum - I’ve seen several Nick Lund minis turn up for sale on this site and have been very tempted…